In a message dated 4/17/00 8:21:00 AM Central Daylight Time, dennisb@willmar.com (Dennis Benson) writes: << I'm confused... I've heard two sides to the "Well Tempered Clavier" story. Did Bach write it to show ET or to show how each piece could be written to sound in the current temperment? >> What I have always heard is that the Well-Tempered Tuning idea came about during Bach's time as a response to the restrictions of the 1/4 and 1/5 Comma Meantone temperaments. The Meantones were considered to have only a portion of the available tonalities useful. The remote keys, with 4 or more sharps or flats were unusable because they were musically too harsh. The Well-Tempered Tuning (Well-Temperament) for short, supposedly made all keys equally accessible and thus, it may have been called "Equal Temperament" even though it is not at all ET as we know it today. Apparently Groves Dictionary made this same error which contributed to the confusion for decades. You still see it written today that the Well-Tempered Clavier music was written for ET but this is a factual error. There is a reason and purpose behind the choice of each key in that music. If you play any of the music in ET and transpose it to any other key, you won't hear a problem. But if you play any of the music in a true Well-Tempered Tuning and become aware of the special character that the chosen key offers, then play the music in an unrelated key, you will clearly hear the inappropriateness. There is a plethora of recordings of the Well-Tempered Clavier music in ET including a whole 5 CD set of Wanda Landowska playing it all on a harpsichord tuned with a Strobe Tuner (ugh!). While many have praised that recording, I consider it unlistenable. I wonder when someone will make the first recording of this music in an appropriate temperament? Bill Bremmer RPT Madison, Wisconsin
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